No questions here, Jonathan Vilma is the manfor the New Orleans Saints. Vilma has been one of the finest pickups of the Mickey Loomis/Sean Payton era with the Saints, as he has been the team's leading tackler two years running, and in 2009 was voted to his second Pro Bowl. Vilma, 28, is healthy and focused and will be a critical piece of the team's defense of its Super Bowl title. His backup is equally clear: Marvin Mitchell, in his fourth year from Tennessee, who turns 26 in October. Mitchell had career highs in tackles on defense and special teams in 2009, when he appeared in 14 games with two starts, and also got a start in Super Bowl XLIV when the Saints opened with a 3-4 defense. Anthony Waters, 26, who was picked up last year off Buffalo's practice squad, rounds out the depth chart.

MLB Depth Chart

No./Player Ht. Wt. Exp.

51 Jonathan Vilma 6-1 230 7

50 Marvin Mitchell 6-3 249 4

59 Anthony Waters 6-3 238 3

First down

The Texans got the best of the Saints in the afternoon indoor session. The practice lacked some of the pop of the morning drills, given the Texans chose to practice in helmets-only and without pads, but there was no mistaking the results of several plays. Backup New Orleans quarterback Patrick Ramsey threw two interceptions and No. 3 quarterback Chase Daniel added another to his growing list of recent practice pickoffs. In the two-minute drills, Drew Brees fired one down the right sideline to open Devery Henderson, who inexplicably slowed a step on his route and then was unable to corral the ball with one hand. On fourth down, Brees threw one over the middle that was batted down by Texans defensive end Antonio Smith. The Texans, on the other hand, moved briskly down the field and eventually scored when quarterback Matt Schaub rolled to his left and passed to tight end Joel Dreessen, who managed to elude Vilma's coverage after several seconds.

Who's Hot

Backup tight end David Thomas made two excellent catches in the morning drill, both off passes from Ramsey. The two have connected on several passes in recent practices, where Thomas and Jeremy Shockey have had more reps than usual, given rookie Jimmy Graham is out with a sprained ankle. Thomas went high on the first one and held on to the ball despite taking a shot to the small of his back while airborne, and made a solid, tumbling catch along the sideline later in the morning practice. As he hit the ground on the second, a fan in the bleachers yelled out, "Happy Birthday, Shockey!" Shockey turned 30 years old Wednesday but was not involved in that play.

Quote of the Day

"No, they didn't say anything about that -- but we know. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best."

Texans running back Arian Foster when asked if the Saints had let him know that they were Super Bowl champions.